1. Which among the following chronology is correct regarding four
‘samvatas’ ?
(1) Gupta–Gregorian–Hizri–Saka
(2) Gregorian–Saka–Hizri–Gupta
(3) Saka–Gregorian–Hizri–Gupta
(4) Hizri–Gupta–Gregorian–Saka
2. The home of Gargi, Maitrey, and
Kapila was at
(1) Vidisha (2) Ujjain
(3) Pataliputra (4) Mithila
3. Which area of India was known
as Avantika in ancient times ?
(1) Avadh (2) Ruhelkhand
(3) Bundelkhand (4) Malwa
4. The Social System of the Harappans was :
(1) Fairly egalitarian
(2) Slave-Labour based
(3) Colour (Varna) based
(4) Caste based
5. Which of the following Vedas provides information about the civilisation of the Early Vedic Age?
(1) Rig-veda (2) Yajur-veda
(3) Atharva-veda (4) Sama-veda
6. The university which became famous in the post-Gupta Era was :
(1) Kanchi (2) Taxila
(3) Nalanda (4) Vallabhi
7. Banabhatta was the court poet
of which emperor ?
(1) Vikramaditya
(2) Kumaragupta
(3) Harshavardhana
(4) Kanishka
8. The first Indian ruler, who established the supremacy of Indian
Navy in the Arabian Sea was :
(1) Rajaraja I (2) Rajendra I
(3) Rajadhiraja I (4) Kulottunga I
9. Which statement on the Harappan Civilisation is correct?
(1) Horse sacrifice was known
to them.
(2) Cow was sacred to them.
(3) ‘Pashupati’ was venerated by
them.
(4) The culture was not generally
static.
10. The First Tirthankara of the
Jains was :
(1) Arishtanemi (2) Parshvanath
(3) Ajitanath (4) Rishabha
Answers: 1. (1) 2.(4) 3.(4) 4.(1)
5.(1) 6.(3) 7.(3) 8.(1)
9.(4) 10.(4)
1. (1) Samvat is any of the various Hindu calendars. In
India, there are several calendars in use. The Saka
Samvat is associated with 78 A.D; Gupta Samvat with
320 A.D; and Hijri Samvat with 622 A.D. The first
year of Hijri era was the Islamic year beginning in AD
622 during which the emigration of Muhammad from
Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra, occurred. The
Gregorian calendar, also called the Western calendar
and the Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a
decree signed on 24 February, 1582.
2. (4) The name ‘Mithila‘ goes back to Puranic times. It
occurs in the Mahabharata and in Pali literature. According to the Puranic tradition the name has been
derived from that of Mithi (son of Nimi) King of Ayodhya and grandson of Manu who founded a kingdom which was called Mithila after him. It is associated with Valmiki, Ashtavakra, Yajnavalkya, Udayana,
Mahavira, Kanada, Jaimini and Kapila as well as the
women philosophers, such as, Gargi, Maitreyi, Bharati and Katyayani. After the era of the Ramayana it is
said that the three seats of culture in Vedic period –
Kosala, Kasi and Videha – merged to form the Vajjians
confederacy and the centre of political gravity shifted
from Mithila to Vaishali.
3. (4) Ujjain (Avanti, Avantikapuri), is an ancient city of
Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of
the Kshipra River, today part of the state of Madhya
Pradesh. Avanti with its capital at Ujjaini, is mentioned in Buddhist literature as one of the four great
powers along with Vatsa, Kosala and Magadha.
4. (1) The archaeological record of the Indus civilization
provides practically no evidence of armies, kings,
slaves, social conflict, prisons, and other oft-negative
traits that we traditionally associated with early civilizations. If there were neither slaves nor kings, a more
egalitarian system of governance may have been practiced. Besides, compared to other ancient civilizations
the houses were of nearly equal size indicating a more
egalitarian social structure i.e. The Social System of
the Harappans was fairly egalitarian.
5. (1) The Vedic period (or Vedic age) was a period in
history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures
of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the
period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence
indicates that the Rig Veda, the oldest of the Vedas,
was composed roughly between 1700 and 1100 BCE,
also referred to as the early Vedic period. It is an
important source of information on the Vedic religion
and their Gods as well as presents a detailed account
of the life of the people at that time.
6. (3) Nalanda was an ancient centre of higher learning
in Bihar, which was a Buddhist centre of learning
from the fifth or sixth century A.D. to 1197 CE. Nalanda flourished between the reign of the Sakraditya
(whose identity is uncertain and who might have been
either Kumara Gupta I or Kumara Gupta II) and 1197
A.D, supported by patronage from the Hindu Gupta
rulers as well as Buddhist emperors like Harsha and
later emperors from the Pala Empire.
7. (3) Banabhatta was a Sanskrit scholar and poet of
India. He was the Asthana Kavi in the court of King
Harshavardhana, who reigned in the years 606–647
CE in north India. Bana’s principal works include a
biography of Harsha, the Harshacharita and one of
the world’s earliest novels, Kadambari. The other works
attributed to him is the Parvatiparinaya.
8. (1) Rajaraja Chola I created a powerful standing army
and a considerable navy, which achieved even greater success under his son Rajendra Chola I. One of
the last conquests of Rajaraja was the naval conquest
of the ‘old islands of the sea numbering 12,000’, the
Maldives. Chola Navy also had played a major role in
the invasion of Lanka.
9. (4) Potteries of the Harappan Civilization bring out the
gradual evolutionary trend in the culture. It is on the
basis of different types of potteries and ceramic art
from found over the different stages of the civilization, it can be said that Harappan culture was not
static and did not disappear suddenly. While showing signs of decay, in course of time it rejuvenated
itself by reviving some of the earlier ceramic traditions and evolving new ones in the transitional phase.
10. (4) In Jainism, Rishabh was the first of the 24
Tirthankaras who founded the Ikshavaku dynasty and
was the first Tirthankara of the present age. Because
of this, he was called Adinath. He is mentioned in the
Hindu text of the Bhagavata Purana as an avatar of
Vishnu. In Jainism, a Tirthankara is a human being
who helps in achieving liberation and enlightenment
as an “Arihant” by destroying all of their soul constraining (ghati) karmas, became a role-model and
leader for those seeking spiritual guidance.